In the times of COVID, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the many auto-immune disorders which exist in our world and how they can play into our overall health. Lupus is one of these conditions that happens to have an overlapping occurrence with pelvic issues, due to its effect on the entire body. I write this blog today to inform readers about this disease and hopefully offer some validation and exposure to those who are currently suffering from it.
What is it?
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder which affects five million people around the world, involving many different parts of the body, including your joints, blood cells, skin, brain, kidneys, heart, and lungs. This means that your immune system is attacking healthy tissue in the body trying to protect you from a threat that isn’t there. There are a few different types, but 70% of people have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, also known as SLE, which is the most severe.
What causes it?
Certain people are predisposed to it, but it can be caused by drugs taken, infections, and even sunlight. It appears that something in the environment triggers Lupus, so if it’s something you suffer from (or have a known genetic predisposition to), then make sure to protect yourself from excessive sun exposure, getting infections, and medications like antibiotics, anti-seizure meds, and blood pressure meds. According to Dr. Amy Myers, leaky gut, stress, toxins, and gluten intolerance can also cause Lupus.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of Lupus is a butterfly shaped rash across the face, but there are many others. The symptoms can come on suddenly or develop slowly over time, and they can appear temporarily or permanently. Every person is different. Some symptoms are fatigue, fever, joint pain, skin lesions that come about with sun exposure, dry eyes, chest pain, headaches, confusion, memory loss, hair loss, and fingers and toes that turn blue or white when stressed or in the cold. Complications from Lupus are miscarriage, bone tissue death, vulnerability to infections, and even a slightly higher risk of developing cancer. The more long-term effects are devastating for the organs and systems in the body. The inflammation in the lungs can make breathing painful, cause bleeding, or even pneumonia. If the inflammation goes to the heart and surrounding areas, it increases risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. If it affects your blood vessels it can cause anemia and blood clotting. When the brain is involved, this can lead to vision issues, behavior changes, strokes, or seizures. Serious damage to the kidneys is even known to cause kidney failure, resulting in death.
How do you diagnose it?
Diagnosing Lupus is difficult because of course the symptoms mimic other conditions. For those of us with pelvic pain we are used to the whole seeing 10 doctors, being told it’s in your head, and misdiagnoses galore that comes with the territory of being a female with an often invisible illness. Lupus is unfortunately most common in women aged 15-45 who are Hispanic, African American, or Asian American. Blood tests to assess how well the liver and kidneys are functioning can be run, as well as a complete blood test to check for low white blood or platelet count or anemia, and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate test to see the rate at which red blood cells settle in an hour. In addition, an antinuclear antibody test to see if you are positive and urine tests, such as urinalysis to check for an increased protein level or red blood cells in the urine, can be run. If the heart is involved, a chest x-ray and echocardiogram will test for fluid in the lungs and problems in the heart’s valves. A biopsy of the skin or kidney may also be performed, if deemed necessary, to determine what the best treatment option will be, since it depends which body part is most affected by the Lupus.
How do you treat it?
There’s no cure, but many meds help with the symptoms of Lupus, including NSAIDs, antimalarial drugs, immunosuppressants, and biologics. If you'd prefer to treat it naturally then you must support your immune system to restore it to its optimal functioning and thus reverse the effects. To follow a functional medicine approach, you can fix leaky gut by the 4 R's: remove inflammatory foods and bacteria, replace them with nutrient dense foods, restore beneficial bacteria with potent probiotics, and repair the gut with Leaky Gut Revive. The same doctor who developed that supplement also sells a cookbook to help those suffering from an Autoimmune Disorder support their body through a balanced, healthy diet.
Lupus Disease is no joke and anyone dealing with the repercussions of it has my greatest sympathies. It's always my goal to learn as much as I can about other conditions and then help educate others by spreading the knowledge I obtain. If you are interested in learning more or looking for more resources and answers you can check out this website and/or follow @lupusorg on Insta. Just remember there are always other people out there who share in your pain and are available to offer support and guidance when you need it most.